For two years the boys soccer team has made it to semi-state, only to come up short in the first game.

With many key players returning, the boys will work to achieve the elusive state championship.

“We’re basically the same team, [from last year] but with one year more experience we should be better,” senior Mike Muskin said.

The goal to win state championship seems to be in the team’s reach. The boys have an overall record of 6-1 and are currently ranked eleventh in the state. The team’s only loss came from Castle, ranked ninth.

“Our first loss was against Castle,” junior Milan Marinkovich said. “It was the second game of the season and the first game in the Washington Tournament.”

The team’s success is partially credited to the time and effort the boys put in during the summer.

“We did a lot of conditioning,” Marinkovich said. “During the summer we would run four miles on the track.”

The team used the conditioning to their advantage in summer tournaments, which prepared them for the regular season.

“We went to a summer tournament down in Indianapolis to prepare for the season,” Coach Jereme Rainwater said.

The conditioning has helped prepare the team for the other talented teams in the state, but they are focused on winning the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) first.

Valparaiso will the team’s biggest challenge,” Coach Rainwater said. “They’ve won ten consecutive DAC championships, so dethroning them will be tough for anyone.”

Every game in the DAC is important, but games against rivals always bring out the best in a team.

“Valpo and Chesterton are the team’s biggest rivals,” Muskin said.

The team will look to beat these two teams in back to back weeks on September 14 and 21.

“Our two games against Chesterton and Valpo back to back will be our biggest challenge,” Marinkovich said. “If we overcome these two weeks, I believe we will win the DAC.”

The players and coaches believe boys will need to make some improvements as a team if they will reach their goals of a DAC and state championship.

“We need to improve as a team on finishing (goals),” Marinkovich said. “We need to improve offensively,” Muskin said. “But now that we have [senior] Greg Gehrig back, we should be fine.”

Coach Rainwater will work on these improvements with the team. He believes his team will do well in the playoffs.

“They have the ability to go downstate,” Coach Rainwater said. “They’re as talented as any other Lake Central team we’ve ever had.”